New Honda vehicles coming as part of electrification initiative

Posted by
Benjamin Yong on
January 31st, 2017

The front fascia of the new Honda Clarity that is coming to Canada for the first time later this year.

Have you heard of the Honda Electrification Initiative? The Japanese manufacturer recently announced a goal of halving the company’s CO2 emissions by 2050, partly through significantly expanding the portfolio of electric vehicles, targeting two-thirds of worldwide sales to come via EVs by the year 2030.

"Half of the all-new models that Honda will launch in the United States in the coming two years will be electrified vehicles. In the long term, electrified vehicles are key to the future of carbon-free mobility," said Honda global CEO Takahiro Hachigo at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in early January.

Following up with Hachigo’s announcement, Jean Marc Leclerc, Honda Canada vice president of sales and marketing, said, “its new product launch cadence would reflect the U.S. strategy as we prepare to introduce all-new alternative fuel vehicles to the Canadian market.”

One of those is the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, expected to arrive in 2017. It rides on the same underpinnings as the hydrogen-powered version of the mid-size five-passenger sedan already available in other markets.

Not many specifications have been released, but the Clarity Plug-In will have an all-electric range of over 60 kilometres, backed up by a “hyper-efficient” gasoline range extender. The interiors are outfitted with “premium, environmentally-responsible materials” and feature the same technology found in other models like a Display Audio infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistance equipment.

After the launch of the above, a second United States-built dedicated hybrid vehicle is slated for a 2018 release, utilizing the same two-motor setup as found in the current Accord Hybrid. In addition, that automaker has also hinted at an alternative-fuel light truck offering joining the lineup in the near future.

About the Author

Benjamin Yong is a freelance journalist and communications professional living in Richmond, B.C. He is often found writing about cars and the auto industry, amongst other things, or driving around in his work-in-progress 1990 Mazda MX-5.